


Lego House

by walksinstarlight



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angels are Dicks, Angst, Demonic Possession, Demons, Destiel - Freeform, F/M, Gen, Girl Saves Boy, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, My First Fanfic, Nephilim, Romance, Season/Series 09, Slow Build, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-18
Updated: 2014-02-13
Packaged: 2018-01-01 22:43:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 15,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1049429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/walksinstarlight/pseuds/walksinstarlight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based on a dream I had in which Sam, Dean, and Castiel encounter a Nephilim.</p><p>Takes place during Season 9, post 9x03: I'm No Angel.</p><p>My first Supernatural Fanfic. I honestly love this series and fandom so much and I don't think I'm worthy to write for it, but I couldn't deny the awesome dream I had so I decided to put it to paper. Hope you guys like it! :)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 1

The sun was starting to make its exit from the sky as Sam and Dean reached the state line of Iowa. Garth had called them that morning with a potential case. A woman in Des Moines who had died two months prior had come back to life three days ago. If it hadn’t been strange enough, she had gone missing a day after her “resurrection.” Sam and Dean had experience with sudden unexplainable resurrections, that much was obvious, but her disappearance following was what sparked Garth’s interest in the case.

“She’s the local pastor’s daughter, Ella White.” He had said on the phone to Dean.

“Haven’t we done this a million times, Garth? It’s always the pastor’s daughter.” Dean had said. He wasn’t entirely in the mood to go on a fruitless hunt. His main concern was keeping Sam in the bunker until he was well enough for Ezekiel to take off. Things had been tense lately. Kevin had been getting under Dean’s skin about keeping Crowley in the dungeon. Crowley wasn’t helping. Sam was getting peeved about Dean’s refusal to take any case he suggested, claiming _“Sammy, you need your rest.”_ He had to practically beg Dean to take the case that Garth presented.

Dean didn’t want it. Dean didn’t want much of anything. It had been three weeks since Ezekiel had demanded that Castiel leave the bunker.

_“Bartholomew is amassing a force. We cannot stand an incursion. Castiel is in danger. And if he is here, I am in danger…if he stays, I’m afraid I will have no choice but to leave.”_

      The words still haunted Dean every night. They made him cringe as the scene replayed in his mind. _“Listen buddy, uh…you can’t stay.”_ It made him sick to his stomach. Dean had given Cas a cell phone to contact them, but he hadn’t done so since his departure. Dean had called a few times to check in with him, to make sure he was okay, but to no avail. Cas didn’t want to talk to him, how could he? Dean didn’t explain to him why he had to leave; he couldn’t do so without telling the truth about Ezekiel. It killed him to do it, but it was Sammy’s life. He had no choice.

      They drove until the sky was black and they reached the city of Des Moines, where the missing woman’s family lived. It was only about eight o’clock and they were hungry, as they had been driving for almost six hours without stopping. It was a short distance compared to their drives in the past, but the new-found home of the Men of Letters bunker had begun to spoil the boys; they were used to food and rest whenever they wanted it. As they drove through the city, Dean spotted a small, generic-looking diner on the corner of the main street and pulled into the driveway.

“We’ll grab a place to crash after food, alright?” Dean said as Sam gave him a look that said “really?”

“Come on, Sammy, I’m sure we can find you a salad or something in there.” Dean teased as he turned off the Impala’s ignition. As they got out of the car, Sam froze and tensed up, an odd look on his face.

“Sam? What’s up, what’s--”

“That girl,” he said, his eyes had widened and a crystallized blue light began to show through them; Ezekiel.

“Zeke? What--” Dean turned to look at the girl Zeke had pointed out. A raven-haired girl, probably just a little shorter than Dean, was exiting the diner, a coffee in hand. She was talking on the phone as she left, and began to walk slowly toward them. She cradled her phone between her ear and shoulder as she fumbled for her keys in her bag with one hand.

“What about her?” Dean asked. He didn’t notice anything strange about her. She was pretty, but nothing about her seemed exceptionally threatening.

“She is a Nephilim.” Ezekiel answered, his eyes narrowing.

“Like the kid of an angel and human? I thought Cas said there was only one.”

“Apparently not.” Zeke replied and he took on a battle stance, his hand going to the gun in Sam’s back-pocket. Even if Zeke didn’t need it to fight, he knew he would have to let Sam back into his conscious state soon and did not want to leave him unarmed if danger presented itself.

“Whoa, whoa, you think we need that, I mean look at her.” Dean said. He could probably pick her up with one arm if he tried. She was about fifteen feet away from them now, putting her phone back in her bag, growing closer but still unaware of what was going on ahead of her.

“Nephilim are dangerous and unpredictable.” He replied simply, looking at Dean. Suddently, the blue light dimmed and it was clear Sam had returned. He looked to Dean with a confused expression, “Why are we just standing here, let’s go?”

Dean cleared his throat. He considered just letting it go, but then he thought, well if she has a connection to the angels, maybe we could use her for something, “Dude, that girl. She’s a Nephilim.” Sam’s head jerked to her.

“What, how do you know?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. She was about five feet away now. It was now or never.

“Hey!” Dean said. The girl stopped and looked at them. Her eyes flashed a brilliant white color and she froze, dropping her coffee cup on the ground. Quick as a whip, Dean grabbed the angel blade and held it at her.

“You.” She said breathlessly, “I know who you are.”

“Yeah, and I know you’re a Nephilim.” Dean replied, his eyes narrow. Now that she was closer, she looked slightly more threatening.

      She may have had a slender frame and delicate facial features, but her body appeared to be strong. Her biceps were cut, the muscles in her body appeared etched in as if by God, symmetrical and visible under her light skin. Her emerald eyes looked determined, but not malicious, as she held her hands up in peaceable gesture.

“Please, I mean no harm.” She said. Her voice was uneasy.

“And why should we believe you? You’re one of them.” Dean countered viciously, not lowering the knife.

“I’m not. If any angels even knew I was alive, they’d probably slit my throat on the spot,” she explained, “I’m an abomination. I know what they think of me. I shouldn’t even be alive; I’m as bad as a demon in their eyes. Nephilim aren’t angels.” Her voice was strong, but her eyes were downcast and sad. Sam and Dean continued to stare at her, not sure what action to take next.

“Look,” she continued, “I don’t know why you’re here. I was living quietly until you two showed up just now. Nobody knows about me, no angels at least, and I’d like to keep it that way.”

      Dean’s eyes shifted furtively to Sam standing next to him. He knew Ezekiel was in there and he knew for sure that he was aware of what was happening. If Ezekiel hadn’t taken kindly to having a newly-human Castiel in their presence, what would he possibly think of her? He had taken to violence as soon as he had sensed her presence. She didn’t look dangerous; then again, most creatures didn’t until they unleashed their true nature when threatened. Who knew what this girl was capable of? Sam cleared his throat and Dean was shaken out of his thoughts.

“How have you been staying hidden? Wouldn’t the angels be on the lookout for someone like you?” Sam asked suspiciously.

“One would think,” she rolled her eyes, “I’m pretty sure they have bigger problems now, but I don’t think they don’t know I exist. Actually, there’s only been one other Nephilim alive on earth at the same time as me, but she’s gone now. We used to talk to each other,” she looked up to the sky, “but we haven’t spoken in months. I assume she’s dead.”

      Dean and Sam looked at each other, knowing full well about the other Nephilim she spoke of. Metatron had convinced Castiel to kill her as part of the “trials” to close Heaven. He hadn’t wanted to at first, claiming she was innocent and had been keeping to herself all this time, but Metatron wouldn’t hear it, and so she was slain. Dean was curious to what this Nephilim would think of the matter. He didn't want to provoke her, but he wanted to see how much she knew.

“Yeah, we uh, know a little something about that, actually. Heard about someone that was tricked into killing her.” He said, his eyes fixed on her expression. She looked at him curiously.

“Castiel?” she offered with a flash of recognition in her emerald green eyes. She looked almost hopeful. Dean tightened his grip on the knife, raising it higher. He felt Sam tense up beside him.

“How do you know about Cas?” Dean demanded in a raised voice. This was what he had been hoping for. Information. She immediately looked fearful.

“It’s only what I’ve heard! I hold no animosity against him. I was unaffected by the spell casting the angels out of Heaven.”

“Then how do you know his name?” Sam asked with his voice full of doubt, his eyebrows turned up in distrust.

“Something nobody knows about Nephilim is that we _are_ in tune with the angels. I can hear them speak, but they can’t hear me. It’s like a muted cell phone. I heard everything they said about him. How he made the angels fall, how they were cast out of Heaven as a result of something he did. How it’s supposedly all his fault, how he 'broke' Heaven.” She explained.

“Hey, watch what you say!” Dean snarled, “Cas is our family and he was only trying to do the right thing. Not his fault Metatron is an asshole with a hidden agenda.”

She shrugged, “It’s only what I’ve heard. Don’t kill the messenger, that’s just what they all say. God knows, I’m not such a huge fan of the angels myself. They have looked down upon my kind for centuries, slaughtering Nephilim wherever they find us. In my opinion, Castiel did them a solid, making them fall. Maybe now they’ll understand what it’s like, maybe now they’ll stop hunting us. If I knew Castiel, I’d kiss him; I’m grateful.”

Dean felt heat rise in his chest, “Yeah, well you don’t.”

She and Sam raised their eyebrows. There was a tense silence for about thirty seconds.

“So,” Sam spoke up, breaking the hush, “that’s how you knew who we were, a one-way walkie-talkie with angel radio?”

She nodded, “All I keep hearing is ‘if you find the Winchesters, you’ll find Castiel,” Sam and Dean looked at each other, a dark look upon their faces, “and I can see you guys sometimes. I don’t know how, or why, but that’s how I recognized you. I’ve never had visions or anything before now. Maybe it’s like I’m supposed to help you.”

Dean scoffed, “Yeah, okay, and who would want to help us? We’re on everybody’s most-wanted-dead list.”

“Like I know? Look, that’s why I’m talking to you, okay? I wasn’t going to, I was going to try and ignore it, keep to myself, but when you,” she looked at Sam, “when you looked at me, there was something in your eyes. I saw it and I know you saw me. That’s why we’re here, that’s why we’re talking. You knew what I was.”

Sam nodded, “I don’t know how, but you’re right. I knew you weren’t exactly an angel, but there was something…different, not like anything we’ve seen,” He lowered his gun despite a threatening look from Dean. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Kira.” She said, stretching her hand out in a friendly gesture. Despite the boys holding weapons and threatening to gut her with them, she didn’t fear them. Dean simply looked at her hand, and then gave her a head nod, not lowering the knife.

“Dean.” He said. Sam, however, did return her handshake, to which Dean let out an exasperated sigh, “Sam.”

“It’s nice to finally meet the Winchester boys,” Kira said, her pale lips curling into a smirk, “I might not exactly know everything about what’s been happening with you and the angels for the past few years, but I’ve heard the angels talk about you, complain about you. It’s been entertaining. You guys have been raising hell, no pun intended.”

“That’s an understatement.” Sam said with an uneasy attempt at a laugh.

“Well,” Kira said, shrugging, “if it’s any consolation, I’m trying to raise a little hell too. I’m sick of hiding, I’m sick of being called abomination behind my back and I’m sick of these angel assholes thinking they're superior to everyone else. I'm fed up.” a snarl crossed her pale lips. 

At this, Dean, slowly but surely, lowered his knife. He took Kira’s hand and shook it, “Girl after our own heart.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

Sam, Dean, and Kira had gone back into the diner to talk. The boys were still skeptical, no doubt, but she had been willing to talk with them and had offered her help and information. It seemed like she had as much distaste for the angels as the Winchesters did and that was all it took for them to sit down with her at the corner booth.

“So how old are you?” Dean asked, taking a bite of his burger.

Kira rested her chin on her hand and looked up in thought, “Well, I stopped growing at 25.” Sam and Dean looked at her curiously, but that’s all she said, taking a sip through the straw of her drink. She rapped her black fingernails on the counter.

“Explain, maybe?” Sam asked when she didn’t continue.

“Well, Nephilim actually stop growing once they reach the same age of their mother when they were conceived. My mother had me when she was twenty five,” she lowered her voice, “and obviously my father was an angel.”

“So, you stop growing? You’re immortal then?” Sam pressed, not touching the food in front of him. Kira sighed.

“In a way. I can die, obviously, but I won’t ever die of old age. I got that from my dad, I guess. I’m like a vessel…but not. At least that's what they told me. I was born in this skin, but I won’t age any further than this.”

“How long have you been twenty five?” Dean asked, sitting back in the booth, twiddling his thumbs. He wanted to learn more about what the angels were saying, what they were doing about Heaven and Cas. He wanted to seem interested, but his priorities were elsewhere. Kira seemed cool and hopefully a helpful asset, but he didn’t really need to know any more about Nephilim than what he knew already. Still, he thought it'd be a good idea to appear invested in her story. 

“Five years. That’s when my angel stuff started to really kick in. I mean, a few things happened when I was younger, but I don’t remember them too much. I was pretty normal as a teenager, run of the mill little punk, I guess,” she played with her long black hair, curling it in her fingers and blowing her bangs out of her eyes, “I heard whispers sometimes, but thought it was in my head and ignored it. Then, on my twenty fifth birthday, I was out at a bar with some friends and then I remember feeling sick to my stomach. I ran outside into the alley because I thought I was going to hurl,” Her eyes flicked to Dean, “but that’s when I heard it, loud, and no longer a whisper: ‘Dean Winchester is saved.’ That’s the first time I heard your name.”

      Dean felt Sam’s eyes on him. It was so nostalgic of what Anna had said to them all those years ago, when she too had heard the angels before she realized who she truly was. 

“I guess I’m kind of a big deal.” Dean said, stretching his arms out, putting one behind Sam and resting it on the old-fashioned cushions of the booth.

“I guess you are,” Kira laughed, “because they haven’t shut up about you two. Ever. It’s like all I hear about anymore. Michael Sword, Lucifer, you guys stopping the apocalypse, civil war, blah, blah, blah,” she said, taking another long sip of her drink, “and here I am, just trying to get stoned and quit my job.”

Sam laughed and Dean gave her a half smile, “Preaching to the choir, sister,” he said, “I do have a question though.”

“Shoot.”

“What have you heard lately?” he asked, leaning on the table between them. Kira stared at him, tilting her head. The way she looked questioningly at him, that curious look in her eyes, God, it reminded him of Cas.

“Nothing good,” her voice turned furtive and low, “you guys are not in high favor with them; not like you ever were, but now, shit, they’re on your tail. They want Castiel’s head on a silver platter, Dean, and they’re going to do whatever it takes to get it,” She looked at him knowingly, as if he was translucent, like she could read every thought in his head.

“And I know that you’re going to do whatever it takes to stop that from happening.” She said.

“How would you know that?” Dean asked, trying to read her too, make her mind feel naked like his. Kira’s expression changed quickly, a small smile appearing on her face.

“I hear things. I hear Castiel rebelled for you. He broke an awful lot of rules, for you, Dean Winchester. And from the look in your eyes, I’m betting you’ve done the same for him. And that you would continue to do so,” she read him like an open book, “and let’s be real. I’m not stupid, I know the look of  _love_ when I see it.”

Dean sat back in the booth, stunned. His face must have been ridiculous because Sam scoffed and Kira just sat there, her arms crossed over her chest.

“Cas is—Cas is family, okay? He’s my friend; he’s been there for _us_ through a lot.” He reasoned, stuttering.

“Oh, I know, Dean. I’m not questioning that. I have nothing more to say about it. Just thought you should know what I’ve picked up over the years.” Kira continued to smile, her expression frank.

“Yeah, fine, whatever.” Dean said, crossing his arms too. Sam, trying to calm the tension that had suddenly awoken in Dean, spoke up.

“So, Kira, we were in town because we heard about some weird stuff. A girl who died recently came--”

“Back to life and then vanished again.” Kira finished his sentence, looking at Sam now. He stopped.

“Yeah, how’d you know?”

Kira’s smile turned from cocky to sad, her expression softening, “Because she was actually a good friend of mine. We went to school together. She died in a car accident. I knew something was fishy when she came back. So, stupidly, I went to talk to her and…” she trailed off.

“And?” Dean asked, deciding it was safe to speak again on a different topic other than Cas.

“And I told her…about me, about everything. What I am, I shouldn’t have; it was stupid. I knew she would freak out, and she did. Said I was crazy. And then the next day she was gone. I have no idea what happened to her. I’ve been looking around town, I’ve spoken to her family and other friends of ours, but nobody knows. I’ve been trying to listen to the angels, but I don’t think they know or even care; something trivial like that isn’t exactly the big picture on their radar right now.” She explained, shaking her head.

“She’s the local pastor’s daughter, right?” Sam asked. Kira nodded.

“Yeah. Father John. He’s a good guy. They’re good people, they don’t deserve this. Ella, she was my friend.”

“Good people often don’t get what they deserve,” Dean said simply, looking out the window, “but it’s sketchy. And we’re here to find out what’s going on.”  Kira looked at him, then at Sam.

“Well, I’m here to help, if you want it, of course.” She offered, “I’m not really happy with my life here, I have nothing to lose anymore.” She played with the chain hanging around her neck, a small bottle attached to it, sitting comfortably at her sternum. Inside of the bottle something glowed silver and brilliant.

“What is that?” Sam asked, but he believed he already knew the answer as he watched the silver dance in the reflection of the diner’s fluorescent lighting. He had seen it before, flowing out of every angel he had ever watched die.

“It’s my father’s grace.”  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you guys are enjoying the story so far!  
> let me know what you think, it'd be great to get some feedback.


	3. Chapter 3

Sam and Dean stared at Kira, both of their eyes flickering between her face and the little bottle of grace hanging humbly around her neck.

“Why do you have that?” Dean asked. They knew an angel’s grace wasn’t usually something given up willingly. Kira grimaced, staring down at it before looking at the brothers.

“Before my parents died, my father gave this to me. When I was 20, he told me the truth about everything. He told me that in five years, I’d stop aging; that I wasn’t like other people. _I wasn’t_ other people. He fell. He became human for my mother. And he gave me this. He died a year later,” she paused, giving a half-hearted laugh as her eyes grew wet with the beginnings of tears, “cancer, don’t you know. She died a year later. Couldn’t stand living without him.”

“So he told you the truth? He told you about the angels? Isn’t that like…treason or something?” Dean asked. Sam shoved his arm into Dean’s side, “What? I’m curious.”

“It’s okay, Sam, it’s natural that you guys would want to know. And, I mean, I’ve never really had anyone else to talk about this stuff with. My father’s name as an angel was Zadkiel. He was actually a higher up in the angel hierarchy, as I’m told. He was the angel of mercy and forgiveness,” she paused, a small smile forming on her face, “maybe that’s why God let him keep his memories when he fell. I don’t know. He told me that when angels fall, they can lose all memory of who they were, but not him. He met my mother when he came to earth to smite a knight of hell.”

“Your father killed a knight of hell?” Sam asked, a look of awe crossing over his face.

Kira nodded, “I told you, he was a powerful angel. He fought and he won. Angels can be…proud, as I’m sure you’re aware. He decided to take a little vacation on earth, thought he deserved it, took a vessel, and met my mother. She was working at a church as a volunteer for a soup kitchen. He saw her and ‘instantly fell in love’ with her. They spent some time together and he made his choice. It was obviously not approved of by his superiors, but he made a case, and for some reason, they let him do it. He was one of the few fallen that actually left Heaven on a positive note. That doesn’t happen very often,” she paused, “he was a great father. Maybe all those years of watching humanity gave him some insight. He was always good to my mother, he really loved her. I never could’ve suspected he wasn’t really human but then again, how would I know? He gave this to me before he died,” she fingered the grace hanging at her collarbone; “it’s the most precious thing I have.”

“Kira, we’re sorry. We know what it’s like to lose parents.” Sam said, his voice comforting her from across the table. She looked up at him.

“Thank you, Sam. I appreciate it. I feel as if, in the world we live in, everyone has lost someone. It’s just like everyone has bad luck.” She replied, her eyes downcast.

“Well, we can try to help you find Ella. It seems like she might be the only one you have left.” Dean added. Kira’s eyes flashed to Dean and a grateful expression shone through shocking green irises.

“Thanks, Dean. And,” she paused, choosing her words carefully, “I’m sorry about earlier, about what I said about Castiel. I can see it made you upset.”

Dean shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Sam leaned forward, “Kira, is there any way you could help us find him?” he inquired.

Shit, Dean thought. The whole reason Cas had to leave was _because_ of Sam; or rather, Ezekiel. Now he wanted to find him. Damnit, he couldn’t go through saying goodbye again like that. If they found Castiel now, he wasn’t going anywhere, he was going to stay.

“Sam, hey, can I talk to you for a minute in private?” Dean said, nudging him hard in the side. Kira raised a thin, arched, eyebrow, her eyes shifting between the brothers as if she were watching a tennis match.

“I’m going to go use the little girl’s room anyway,” she got up, “I’ll leave you two alone for a few minutes.”

Sam turned to him, “What was that for?” he said sharply, “she can help us find Cas again!”

Dean licked his lips quickly, thinking of a way to signal Ezekiel without bringing Sam’s attention to it.

“I, uh, I _need to talk to you._ ” He tried. Sam just stared at him with a dumbfounded expression.

“What?”

God damn it. “ _I REALLY need to talk to you.”_ He tried again, giving Sam an emphatic look. It took a second, but Sam’s eyes flashed that oceanic blue again.

“Do you boys need a refill or-” the waitress asked from behind the counter across the room.

“We’re good!” Dean yelled before turning back to Ezekiel.

“What is it, Dean?” Ezekiel asked, his stony voice echoing through Sam’s.

“Okay, first, Kira’s cool, right? We’re not going to kill her, right?” Dean asked, his voice low.

“She appears trustworthy for the moment. Although my brothers and sisters would stake me for this, maybe we can use her for our advantage and let her live.” Ezekiel replied.

Dean rolled his eyes, “Okay, yeah, sure. Second, she wants to help us find Cas. Now, I’m still pissed you made me kick him out, but what are we going to do about this? How’s Sam, is he almost well enough for you to get out of there yet?”

Ezekiel shook his head and Dean let out an exasperated noise.

“Well, what the hell, man? I can’t keep doing this. Cas is family; _you_ made me make him leave. She wants to help us, I want her to help us, and no offense, man, but you are being a thorn in my side right now.” Dean’s voice was angry, but it also seemed desperate. Ezekiel paused.

“I will look for the missing girl on my own. You can go with the Nephilim to find Castiel, if you think it wise.” He answered.

“But he can’t come back with us…?” Dean asked, thinking he may as well make the attempt. Ezekiel turned to look at Dean with the same bitch-face that was trademark of Sam. Dean’s lips tightened to a straight line.

“Yeah, I figured.”

“Guys, what’s up?” Kira asked, walking back and sliding into the booth, her eyes on the brothers. Dean, in a panic, looked to Sam, whose eyes were back to normal and he could tell Zeke had left.

“Uh, nothing, we were just talking about the plan.” Dean said quickly.

“We were?” Sam asked, his face etched with a slight daze of confusion.

“Yep, yep, we were. We think it’s best if I go with you to find Cas, and Sam was thinking he could stay here to look for Ella.” Dean explained. Sam gave him a bizarre look, but then shrugged it off, ruffling his hair.

“Hm. Well, I guess if you want to split up, that’s fine.” Kira replied with a shrug.

“Yeah, cover more ground. Y’know.” Dean replied. Sam didn’t say anything; he was still processing their “discussion.”

“Alright, well, how about you guys get some rest and we’ll meet up tomorrow and get this show on the road?” she suggested, throwing some bills down on the counter. Dean did the same and they all stood up.

Once outside, they exchanged numbers and got into their respective cars. Sam and Dean headed to a motel down the road and got settled in. Dean feared Sam would ask questions about their “discussion” of the “plan”, but the worry was useless. Sam just went about his usual nightly business and hopped into bed, knocking out quickly, “G’night Dean.”

Dean lay in his bed, his back to Sam, his focus on the moon shining through the dark, cheap, motel curtains. What happened today was weird, but he had a strangely optimistic feeling about it. As soon as he felt hope creep up within him, however, it sunk back down into the depths of his mind. He knew that everything positive came with a price for the Winchesters. He just wasn’t sure what the price would be for Kira’s aid. Tucking that fear to the back of his mind, he thought about what tomorrow would bring. Looking for Cas, finding Cas, hoping Cas would forgive him…it was a lot to hope for, but if he had to hope for something, that was it. Sam was Dean’s reason to fight and protest what he had been told was "fate" or "destiny." Their brotherly bond was unquestionable. As he faced the moon and the light fell on his face, however, it hit him that Castiel was his reason to keep on keeping on, to keep questioning what he knew, or what he thought he knew; maybe one day things would be easier for them and they could all simply _be_ without fear of a blade behind their backs or a bullet in their chests. It was a lot to hope for, he knew, but without hope, he didn't have anything. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you guys like it :3


	4. Chapter 4

They woke up the next morning to sunlight streaming through the curtains; it was a beautiful day. Sam and Dean had stopped noticing beautiful days a long time ago. Dean laced up his boots as Sam sat at the foot of his bed, poring over his laptop per usual.

“So you’re sure you want to split up on this one?” he asked for the second time this morning. Dean let out a sigh.

“Yeah, Sam, it’s easier this way. Like I said before, cover more ground in less time.” He replied, keeping his eyes to his laces, ignoring the fact that splitting up wasn’t even his idea in the first place.

“Alright,” Sam said, shrugging, “I know you want to find Cas, Dean.”

Dean still didn’t look over, but he nodded, “Yeah, and Kira offered to help; it’s convenient. She thinks she can find him, I say why the hell not? And you can handle things here.”

The truth was that Dean really didn’t think much of this case. A resurrected girl who goes missing; it was probably an angel or a demon thing. He assumed that perhaps her body was being used as a vessel and if that was the case, she’d be long gone by now. Sam would be on a wild goose chase and he would be safe.

†††

They met up with Kira outside of the diner again. She was leaning against her car, a blood red jeep, tossing her keys between her hands. There were headphones in her ears, which she took out quickly at the sight of the boys.

“What were you listening to?” Sam asked, stepping out of the Impala.

“Zeppelin.” Kira replied, tucking them into her bag. Dean gave her an appreciative nod.

“This will be a fun ride, then.” He said. Kira smiled. She filled Sam in on some details about Ella and her family.

“They’re nice people; they shouldn’t give you any trouble.” She added reassuringly.

“I’d hope so, if she’s the daughter of a pastor.” Dean said with sarcasm. They hadn’t always had the best luck with religious figures.

Sam rolled his eyes, “It’ll be fine. Thanks Kira.”

She dropped her keys into Sam’s hand, “You take care of her. I’m trusting you with my life.”

Dean laughed, “Girl after my own heart. Let’s get the show on the road.”

They parted ways, Dean giving Sam a last look over his shoulder as he climbed back into Baby with Kira.  

Dean and Kira rode north for hours. Kira had woken up that morning with an enormous headache and overheard angels gathering in St. Paul, Minnesota.

“I can only assume that they know where he is and that’s why they’re gathered. Dean was still a bit skeptical, but something was better than nothing.

“Anything mentioned about a Bartholomew?” he offered, his eyes on the road ahead, tapping the steering wheel as they drove. He saw Kira turn to him in the corner of his eye.

“Yeah, how did you know?” she asked, her voice wary.

“We heard about him back when we found Cas in Detroit a few weeks back. He’s the one that’s forming some kind of angel army, the one that’s hunting Cas.” He replied.

“Wait, you found Castiel already? Then why isn’t he with you?”

Dean paused. He didn’t want to give away too much information to Kira. She had proven useful so far and he liked her; he didn’t want to offer any reason for her to turn against him and Sam later…anything about Ezekiel could do that; it was a touchy subject.

“It’s a long story, Kira.” He replied, staring forward.

“Dean, we have a long drive,” she countered, “I understand why you don’t trust me. You’re not in the business of trust, I get that. But maybe I can help.”

“Well, as to the drive, we just crossed into Minnesota,” Dean said, with a nervous laugh, to which Kira replied with a very Sam-like bitch face, “You’re doing enough with helping me find Cas, trust me.”

Kira took a deep breath. “Dean, I’m half human, but I’m also half angel. I don’t feel a particular affinity toward them since they treat my kind as if we’re as bad as demons, from what I’ve gathered. I’m proud of what I am, though. I’m the product of love between an angel and a human. I’m here for a reason. I want to help.”

Dean considered her words, but he didn’t know how to react other than to continue refusal, “I don’t know how you can help with that one, Kira.”

“Look, there a certain things I can do that I didn’t exactly ask for. I can go for days without sleep or food, but then I’ll be starving and exhausted at the drop of a pin. Sometimes I end up in places I was only thinking about when I had no intention of going anywhere. I can hear angels…but I can hear humans too sometimes. And I have to ask,” she paused, considering her next words carefully, “you and Sam are very close; I can sense that. But when we were in the diner, there was someone else there.”

Dean felt a chill run up his spine at her words. She knew.

“Sam is a human; that much I know…but there was a non-human presence there, and it was inside of him. I saw it, I heard it, and Dean, I was afraid of it.” Kira said finally, crossing her arms over her chest and shaking her head.

At this point, Dean looked over at her, “You saw something in Sam?”

“I saw an angel, Dean.” She replied with anxious eyes. 


	5. Chapter 5

Dean figured the jig was up, at least with regard to Kira.

“An angel, huh?” he asked, interested to see what she’d have to say on the subject.

“Dean, I’m not stupid,” she scoffed, “You knew. You _know_ what’s going on. If you didn’t, your reaction would have been quite different.”

“Okay, you’re right. I’m the reason he’s in there,” Dean began, guilt clawing its way through his chest, “I couldn’t let Sammy die. Zeke said he could heal him from the inside while also healing himself.”

Kira was silent, considering his words, “I’m no pure-blood angel, Dean, but I feel like I’ve at least heard enough to know things…and that sounds odd to me. Usually an angel takes a vessel body and mind. The conscious of that person is pushed aside, tucked away, and the angel becomes the primary mind in charge…but that doesn’t seem to be the case with Sam.”

“I’ve never heard of anything like it either, but I was desperate, what can I say? He’s my little brother; I had to keep him safe.”

Kira’s eyes turned empathetic, but the skepticism was evident. She looked as if she pitied him.

“I have no siblings, Dean, and I cannot begin to understand the bond between you and your brother, but you did what you thought was right at the time. I can’t blame you for that.”

“So, uh, any word on Cas?” Dean asked, praying she’d drop the subject for now. Kira closed her eyes for a second, her eyebrows furrowing as she focused. She stayed rapt in silence and concentration for a good forty-five seconds before gripping the handle of the passenger door. Her eyes burst open and they were pure white, pupils nonexistent.

“They found him,” she said, notes of worry in her voice. Dean’s pulse began to quicken as he placed more pressure on the gas pedal, “something’s wrong.”

“Where is he?” He demanded, his voice rising as his grip on the steering wheel tightened, his knuckles turning white.

“STOP!” Kira exclaimed, her hand shooting out the window of the Impala and pointing toward a large brick apartment building about a hundred feet in front of them, “I see him. I hear him. Third floor.”

_Well, that’s convenient,_ Dean thought to himself as he pulled into the parking lot. In a flash, the Impala’s ignition was off, he was out of the car, and his hand had already flown to the angel blade in the back of his jeans. Kira began to follow him but he shouted, “STAY THERE”, to which she paused, the white light fading from her eyes and returning their natural emerald tint.

Dean sprinted through the doors of the building, past a confused elderly man holding a bag of groceries, and a young woman on her phone who seemed agitated by his urgency. Bursting through the door that led to the staircase, he bounded up the stairs, taking two at a time, until he reached the third floor. In the hallway, he listened for sounds of violence, or struggle, but there were none.

“Shit, shit, shit, shit.” He muttered, looking down both ends of the hall, trying to determine where the hell Cas could be. He spotted one door that had been left open and took a chance on it, moving toward it quickly but cautiously. When he entered the room, his eyes widened at the scene.

Castiel stood in the center of the apartment, blood smeared on his white collared shirt, a long cut below his eye, looking slightly dazed. He was standing above the body of a man in what appeared to be a delivery man’s uniform, dead and lifeless on the hardwood floors beneath their feet. There was a blade sticking out of the man’s chest, right in his heart.

“C-Cas?” Dean stuttered in disbelief, staring at his friend before him.

Castiel flicked his head up at Dean and looked at him wordlessly. Dean slowly moved closer to him, “Cas, you okay?”

Suddenly, a bark of a laugh erupted from Castiel’s throat at Dean’s words.

“Oh yes, Dean, I’m fucking stellar.” He replied; although the voice _was_ his, low and gravely, there was a terrible darkness about it that made Dean stop dead in his tracks. He laughed again, in a way reminiscent of when he had been possessed by the Leviathan, and moved toward Dean. He blinked and his crystalline blue eyes turned ebony as he grabbed the front of Dean’s shirt and yanked the hunter close to his face violently.

“ _How are you?”_


	6. Chapter 6

“You get the fuck out of him now!” Dean screamed in the demon’s face. It blinked again, returning the azure tint to Castiel’s eyes, the black vanishing.

“Better?” It asked in a mocking tone, a sneer painted across its lips. It pushed Dean away violently, laughing as if there were nothing more amusing in the world than this moment.

Dean began to mutter the verbal exorcism under his breath, but the demon Cas heard him and reacted quickly to the threat.

“Ah, ah, ah,” he grabbed the blade sticking out of the dead body’s chest on the floor and turned it inwards toward himself, pointing its tip straight at the center of Cas’s sternum, “we can’t have you doing that, Dean.” Dean instantly stopped at the movement.

“That’s what I thought.” The demon said, holding the blade steady and eyeing Dean darkly. It was so hard to look at Castiel and see that _thing_ inside of him, to hate it, when he knew that Cas was deep in there somewhere, hollering and banging for the demon to vacate his body.

“What do you want with him?” Dean demanded, holding his gaze and ground steadily. He wasn’t sure what to do; he couldn’t kill Cas, but he refused to let that vile spirit lay waste to his best friend’s body.

“What _don’t_ I want with him? Damn, Dean, I knew you weren’t the smart Winchester, but come on,” the demon rolled its eyes at Dean, “Castiel’s on Heaven’s most wanted list. And not to mention, he’s a pretty big contender for most wanted in Hell too.”

“What, why?”

“My queen is ambitious, Winchester. Haven’t you gotten that through your thick head yet?”

Dean’s eyes flicked from the demon down to the body on the floor.

“He _was_ an angel…before I stabbed him. Lucky for little Castiel over here too that I did. The guy nearly killed him,” the demon shrugged, then smirked at Dean, “ _you’re welcome._ ”

“So what, you and Abbadon’s little crew are fighting the angels for Cas? Why, what’s in it for you? He’s human now.” Dean argued, hoping, _praying_ , there was a way to get out of this.

“Now, Dean, you know I’m not going to tell you what’s going on, come on now, who do you think I am?  Let’s just say Abbadon wants a bargaining chip, and you can figure out the rest.” The demon replied with a cocky air, fingering the blade still pointed at Cas’s chest. He inched it closer, then drew it back, closer, then drew it back, a playfully malicious look in his eyes.

“Stop it.” Dean muttered angrily, gritting his teeth.

“Stop?” he barked with a mean laugh, “but Dean, I’m just getting started! I can hear him begging me to stop too; it’s so cute how in sync you two are.”

Dean began to lunge toward him but stopped when the demon steadied the knife, this time right at Cas’s throat, “You know Dean, I love this, I do. It’s like playing jenga with your emotions,” he snickered, “it’s a dangerous game to play, I know, but risks are fun. Castiel _loves_ risks, I mean, he takes them all the time for you, am I right or am I right?”

Dean glared at him, the grip tightening on his knife, but he didn’t know what the next step was. Exorcism failed. Fighting would fail.

“You know, I’m sick of talking to you. I don’t know what this guy sees in you, Dean, but it’s disgusting,” the demon added, moving toward Dean at lightning speed and pinning him to the wall behind him. He put the blade to Dean’s throat, “I’m done playing around. I’m going to kill you right now and let him watch. Then I’ll bring him to hell. He’s got nothing here anyway. After all, you’re the only damn thing he cares about, the only thing on earth he thinks he has to live for and you abandoned him. I’ll kill you and then maybe he’ll shut the fuck-“

Suddenly, the grip on Dean was relinquished as black fingernails appeared on Cas’s shoulder. His head was thrown back and black smoke erupted from his mouth and flew toward out of the open door and out the apartment. Castiel fell forward and Dean braced himself, catching Cas to his chest. Kira was standing behind him, one hand grasping the bottle of grace around her neck, her eyes illuminated by the brilliance of angelic force. Dean watched in astonishment as the light faded and her legs shook, bringing her to her knees on the floor, her body exhausted.

She looked up at Dean from the floor, panting. Her pupils were dilated and fatigue was evident in her eyes.

“Dean,” she gasped, “is he…is he okay?”

“Yeah, I think so, that thing’s gone now,” Dean replied, holding Castiel up under his arms to get a better look at him. He wasn’t conscious, but Dean felt a pulse and that was enough for now, “how did you _do_ that?”

Kira shook her head and slowly began to stand up, steadying herself, “I have no idea,” she admitted, “it just, it felt right.” She looked down at her necklace, the grace dancing fluidly within the glass vial.

“Well,” Dean said, looking at it, “your dad did right by you with that.”

Kira, still trying to fully catch her breath, laughed lightly, “You’re not kidding,” she looked around the room and her eyes landed on the body, “is that-“

“An angel; the demon killed it right before I got here. It tried to kill Cas. I mean, I hate the stupid dicks, but hey, nice timing.” Dean replied. He brought Cas over to a chair in the corner of the room and gingerly set him in it. Concern filled Dean’s face as he looked at his friend up and down. He looked like he’d been okay, managing to stay healthy, but everything the demon had said…it bothered him. _Demons lie, Dean,_ he told himself, but did he really believe it? He _had_ abandoned his best friend. What about the other things that were said though? That Dean was “the only thing on earth he thinks he has to live for” and that what Cas felt for him was, according to the demon “disgusting.” More than anything, Dean wanted honesty. He wanted to tell Cas the truth about Sam and Zeke, he wanted Cas to tell him how he felt, and he wanted to tell Cas that, well, if it was what he thought, it made him happy.

He had been denying it to himself for ages now, but he couldn’t any more. Castiel was his family, yes, but he was so much more than that. They had been through so much together: the apocalypse, the leviathan, purgatory…they had lied to each other, fought with each other, nearly killed each other, but it didn’t matter. Nothing mattered anymore. Castiel made him happy and miserable simultaneously. Every time Cas had popped up unexpectedly, Dean would make some comment about barging in or personal space, but the fact was, it surprised him how pleased it made him to see Castiel there, even when he hadn’t called. The truth was, Dean had never felt more confused and bent out of shape in his life when it came to Cas, but he didn’t resent it. Like Sam, Castiel made Dean want to be better, to stop being a shell of a man and actually fight for things that meant something.

This meant something.

Dean crouched down to Cas’s level, looking for a sign of consciousness. He touched his arm and shook it a little, “Cas?” but it yielded no success. Kira studied him thoughtfully.

“Let me try something,” she offered, slowly placing a hand on Cas’s shoulder and holding the grace in her other hand. Dean watched as, yet again, white light shone through her eyes and her chest puffed as she took a deep breath, as if inhaling the grace around her neck. Castiel twitched and she fell back, almost tripping over the rug behind her before catching herself. Cas’s eyes fluttered open to see Dean appear in front of him, grinning.

“Dean?” he asked, reaching forward as if to make sure he was real. He put his hand on Dean’s shoulder, right on the spot where he pulled him from hell all those years ago.

“Cas, we’ve got to stop meeting like this.” Dean replied, relief flooding through his veins and making its way into his heart. 


	7. Chapter 7

“Dean, what happened, the demon-“ Cas began, urgently sitting up in the chair. He spotted Kira behind him, looking bleary-eyed and tired behind him, “who’s that?”

“That’s Kira. She just saved both of our asses,” Dean replied, standing up and shooting an appreciative nod at her, “thanks for that.”

“Don’t mention it.” Enervation echoed in her words as her knees buckled. Dean moved quickly toward her and caught her arm, holding her straight before she could fall over. He noticed that the grace around her neck had grown smaller somehow; it still glowed but the light was dimmer, faded.

“Is she okay?” Castiel asked, getting up and walking toward them.

“I will be, I think,” Kira answered, sighing, “I don’t really know how it works.”

“How what works?”

“Grace and all that jazz.” She said, waving Dean off as she pulled herself together again, “I’m just tired.”

“Grace?” Castiel’s face suddenly grew anxious and alarmed. He turned to Dean, “is she-“

“I’m a Nephilim.” Kira said simply.

His bright blue eyes widened at her response, “But I thought there was only one. And, well, she is, uh, dead.” He gulped, wondering how much Kira knew.

“She is, but no, I’m the only one now I guess,” she shrugged, “you okay?” she asked, genuine concern etched on her face. Castiel looked at Dean, who nodded at him as if to say ‘she’s cool’ before he replied. He was hesitant about trusting anything with angelic tendencies these days, especially something he had previously been told by his brothers and sisters was an ”abomination.”

“Yes, I think so. An angel came here, I was going to fight him off and then there was this…darkness. It came over me and then I saw the angel dead on the floor, then you showed up and everything was happening so fast and I couldn’t control anything and-” Cas began, his words pouring out of his mouth quickly and nervously. He ran a hand through his messy hair, stress building in his bones.

“Cas, it’s fine. You’re fine now. We’re here and the demon’s gone.” Dean interrupted, putting a hand on his shoulder. He tried to give him a comforting look, but he knew it didn’t convey much assurance.

“Yes, for now.” Castiel replied, his eyes moving toward the window.

“Well, look, you’re not leaving our sight, you hear me?” Dean said in a stern tone. Cas looked at him, his countenance suddenly displaying the epitome of confusion.  

“Why are you even here, Dean?” he asked, his voice full of disbelief. Dean was startled; he hadn’t been expecting that, although he knew he should.

“I, we, uh,” he looked at Kira, who easily seemed to sense the tension that had enveloped the room. She pursed her lips and looked from Dean to Castiel awkwardly.

“Well, I’ll be outside. I’m going to uh, keep watch. Yeah.” She said, taking long strides toward the door. Once he could no longer hear the _thud_ of her combat boots, Castiel turned to Dean and gave him a pointed look.

“Cas, I’m sorry about kicking you out, okay?” Dean offered, but he knew the words sounded hollow and empty without a real explanation.

“Dean, I had nothing. I was living at the gas station _where I work now_ because it was a roof over my head and my boss-“

“You have a job? Cas, that’s great, I-” Dean began, trying to cushion the bitterness in Castiel’s voice.

“Yes, I’m in charge of keeping the place orderly and selling goods. It’s _something_. And my boss Nora was kind enough to help me rent out this apartment until I’m ‘back on my feet.’ I’ve met some quite wonderful humans, Dean, despite some things.” He replied, averting his eyes. It stung, seeing Cas so angry, but Dean understood. He knew what he had done wasn’t right, but what choice did he have? Sam and Zeke weren’t here with them now, though. Maybe it was time he told Cas what was really going on. Then he’d understand, right?  

“Cas, there’s something I need to tell you.” Dean began, taking a deep breath. Cas looked at him with that signature inquisitive stare, the one that had seemed to start it all.

“The reason I asked you to leave, it wasn’t because I wanted you to go. I-I wanted you to stay, hell, you’re family. I’d never kick you out if I had the choice.” He started, his pulse beginning to quicken as he grew closer and closer to the truth.

“Then _why_ did you?” he asked, his voice quiet. Cas’s brows furrowed as he looked at Dean, thirsting for answers.

“He made me do it, Cas. I had to; I had no choice.” Dean replied, looking down at his hands, “Zeke.”

“Who?” Castiel drew back, confusion all over on his face.

“Ezekiel, you said he was a good guy, I thought I could trust him but now, I’m not so sure,” Dean said, shaking his head, “when he said you had to go, I just, I don’t know-”

“Wait, Dean, Ezekiel? What are you-” Cas put his hand on Dean’s arm, “Dean, what did you do?”

“He’s _in_ Sam, Cas…Sammy, he was dying, he was about to go, I had to make a choice right then and there, it was all I could do to save him, man. I had to,” Dean blurted out, his voice thick as he remembered the moment when he thought he was going to lose his baby brother again, “Zeke said he could heal Sammy from the inside and heal himself too. And then he’d leave when Sam was better.”

The look in Castiel’s eyes was of concern, distress, and pity for Dean.

“Dean,” he took a deep breath, “I’ve never heard of that being done before…a vessel is a vessel to an angel. He doesn’t just stay in the background, he takes the vessel’s essence and it becomes his…I don’t understand.”

There was a moment of silence; of fear, apprehension, and misunderstanding.

“He said that if you didn’t leave the bunker, he would have to because he wasn’t safe and that meant Sammy wasn’t safe.”

Cas didn’t respond. He simply stared at the floor.

“Cas, I don’t know what to do.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it took so long to get the next chapter up. finals week is killing me!  
> hope you guys like the next chapter and have been enjoying it thus far.


	8. Chapter 8

“Cas, what do I do? Tell me what to do.” Dean pleaded, desperate for some wisdom, some plan, and some reaction from the other man.

Castiel sighed, “Dean, this is beyond me now. I have no grace, I have no power anymore, there’s nothing I can do, I’m sorry.”

Disappointment surged through Dean. He couldn’t be angry, but what had he really been expecting? Castiel was human now. He couldn’t heal, he couldn’t teleport, he could no longer do the things that once had made him a fearsome warrior of God. Dean looked at Cas, afraid to see a shadow of the Castiel he had once encountered in 2014 when Zachariah had sent him hurtling through time. He never wanted to see that Castiel again: stoned out of his mind, hopped up on amphetamines, engaging in meaningless sex and devoid of faith.

“But maybe,” Castiel said, looking up at Dean, a sudden glimmer of curiosity in his eyes, “maybe the Nephilim can do something.”

“Kira? How?” Dean asked.

“Well, she healed me, didn’t she? She exorcised a demon. She is not an angel, but she is half. Maybe there’s something about her half-blood that makes her powers unique or perhaps more powerful.”

“You think she could be more powerful than an angel? I doubt it, Cas.” Dean replied skeptically. Still, Cas had a point.

“We’ll never know unless we try.” Castiel said, shrugging. 

“It’s worth a shot, I guess. But I don’t think she even knows how her powers work. She didn’t know how to heal you, Cas, or that she could even exorcise that demon. She just said ‘it felt right’; she doesn’t understand her powers more than we do.” Dean said, remembering the look of utter awe on Kira’s face.

“But maybe I can teach her. I can’t do things myself anymore, but that doesn’t mean I don’t remember how.” Castiel offered. For the first time in a long time, Dean thought he saw Castiel’s lips turning up into a smile. He wasn’t about to take that away from him. For the first time since the fall, he could tell Cas didn’t feel helpless. He had something he could offer, teach, and, consequently, begin to feel like himself again. He was human now, but there was no denying Angel would always be written in Cas’s make up. It was a part of him, whether his wings were clipped or not.

“Well then, let’s try it, Cas.”

†††

“Nephilim are, more or less, humans with an angelic essence. As far as I have seen, you possess superhuman strength and have an extremely high pain tolerance,” Castiel said to Kira. She had rejoined them in Castiel’s apartment to discuss a game plan of confronting Ezekiel and helping Sam. Kira nodded, remembering the times in her life before she became aware of what she really was. She had written it all off earlier when she spoke to Sam and Dean about it at the diner, lied to their faces about the things she had experienced as a child: _“A few things happened when I was younger, but I don’t remember them too much. I was pretty normal as a teenager, run of the mill little punk.”_ Like anybody meeting strangers who claimed to know things about angels and demons, Kira was wary. She didn’t want to reveal too much about herself in case they were there to exterminate her. After all, they were hunters; that’s what they did. She was good at deceit though and keeping her past a secret was one of her specialties. 

She had never been sick as a child, was never a victim of the flu, chicken pox, or the common cold. She remembered that moment in kindergarten when she was pushed off the slide in the playground; she had supposedly broken her arm but didn’t feel a thing. When she had arrived at the emergency room with her teacher, her broken bone was completely healed. She had always been the fastest runner on her high school track team; she was a sprinter, almost never lost at meets. She remembered that night when a guy tried to assault her while she was walking home from class. She remembered how she killed him with one touch. She had reacted out of fear for her life. She stuck her hand out in self-defense when he came at her with a knife; and then he was on the ground motionless. She remembered how she had accidentally read the minds of her friends, had told them of bad dreams that eventually came true, how she had been so easy to call a freak and how she didn’t have the power to reject it. She remembered how easily she lost friends and how her family was all she had…until she didn’t have them anymore.

“From what I have been told, Nephilim are extremely powerful, maybe even more so than some angels.” Castiel continued. Kira looked at him from behind the kitchen counter on which she was leaning.

“How? I’m human. You guys are, well, angels. Heavenly and divine and shit.” She said doubtfully.

“Yes, but it is the human soul that gives you such power. Humans are God’s most loved creations. As a Nephilim, you are the product of love between a human and an angel. My brothers and sisters may have called you abomination, but I do not believe it. If anything, you are a symbol of unity between the heavens and the earth. You carry such a deep holy and unholy energy in you that the combined force is incredibly strong.” Castiel explained, his voice passionate. Dean couldn’t stop looking at him; this topic seemed to greatly peak Cas’s interest and had seemed to invoke a lot of emotion.

Kira looked at Cas, and she felt an overwhelming sense of hope and empathy for him. She had always been so in-tuned with the emotions of others; maybe that was part of the biology, but for the first time, she didn’t feel like a freak. She reached across the counter and touched his hand.

“Thank you so much, Castiel,” she said.

“For what?”

“For making me feel as though I’m not some kind of monster,” Kira replied, feeling tears form behind her eyes. She looked at Dean: “I will do whatever I can to help you, Castiel, and Sam,” she turned back to Castiel, “and I forgive you for killing the other of my kind, Jane. I know you regret it and that it was not your choice.” Her tone was authentic and full of understanding. Castiel looked at her in surprise, but took it in stride, as humans do.

“Thank you, Kira. I am…sorry it had to happen like that. I did not know what I was going at the time.” His voice was full of guilt and he found it hard to meet her eyes once he had realized she had read his mind and emotions. He had heard that they could do that, read minds, connect telepathically with others, but now it was confirmed.

“You can read minds?” Dean asked, his eyes widening. He flashed back to that night at the diner when they first met. What she had said about him: _“I know love when I see it.”_ Kira pulled her hand back from Cas’s and stood up straight, looking Dean in the eye.

“Yes. I can read minds and sense the emotions of others on a very high level. I can see things in souls. I can see demons. I can see halos.” She replied evenly. For the first time in a long time, she felt sure of herself. Ever since her parents died, she hadn’t truly had anybody to talk about this stuff with, nobody who understood the emotional and spiritual bondage that came with this birthright.

At times, Kira thought of her life as a curse, but now, upon meeting the Winchesters and Castiel, maybe she could turn it into a blessing. She had heard the angels call her kind an abomination, but maybe now she could turn it all around. Even though she hadn’t known Sam, Dean, or Cas for more than a few days, they seemed to be the only people she could trust and that could help her find herself. She had spent her whole life trying to run away from who she was and hiding this holy terror that lived within her, but it was time to stop. If she could turn an atrocity into something noble, why not try? After all, she had nothing to lose. 


	9. Chapter 9

Kira watched Dean watch Cas; she heard his quickening heartbeat whenever Cas looked over at him. She felt the temperature of Castiel’s newly human body rise when Dean stood near him and she listened to his self-conscious and smitten thoughts. _I want that_ , she thought to herself, _I want that more than anything_. It was times like these when she was thrilled to have the abilities she did. It was the human experiences of love, humility, anger, compassion, sadness, disappointment, regret, and bliss that compelled her to stay alive when all she wanted to do was quit.

It was true; she was physically stronger than any human being she knew of. Physical strength was nothing, however, when it came down to it. Emotions were where she crumbled, where she had always crumbled. Kira had spent her whole life listening to the emotions of others that she had never really listened to herself.

“So, do you think you’ll be able to sense Sam’s health? I mean, if he’s good to go, you can probably shoot Zeke out, right?” Dean asked, pulling Kira out of her thoughts.

“Well, I’ve never really _done_ it before, but then again, I’ve never healed another person _or_ exorcised a demon until today, so I’m not one to deny.” She replied with a shrug.

“Well, that’s, uh, comforting I guess.” Dean said. He was hoping for more of an optimistic statement from Kira, but he knew that she wasn’t totally comfortable or aware of her powers. Kira took a deep breath.

“Look, Dean, I know I’m not as well versed in angel powers and stuff yet, but I’m trying. I don’t have much going on in my life besides dealing with this. I don’t have family, I don’t have friends. I’ll help you guys or die trying, because at least it’s something to do.” She said. She hadn’t meant to be so honest, but she was done trying to cover up what she really felt. It was true; she had come close to trying to kill herself after her parents died because she had no one else to turn to for advice or comfort, but something had told her not to. To this day, she didn’t know what it was, but something had told her that she was here for something more and that it wasn’t her time yet. She had listened, despite the other voices in her head.

Dean looked her apologetically and a pained expression came over his face. Her willingness to help, her lack of fear in the face of possible death, and her determination were so uplifting. She reminded him so much of Charlie. Who knew? Maybe she would prove to be more than just an asset. He walked over to her and put an arm around her small but strong shoulders and looked down at her.

“We’ll be your friends, okay?” he offered.

“I mean, _I guess_ ,” Kira replied sarcastically, a wide smile growing on her face, “thanks Dean.” She watched a look of pure adoration blossom on Cas’s face and she saw his brain light up as it produced heavy levels of dopamine.

“So, Cas, why don’t you teach me some angel stuff? Let’s get this son of a bitch out of Sam ASAP, yeah?” Kira asked eagerly. It was time to stop rejecting her abilities and time to start embracing them. She was ready to start over.

†††

Dean couldn’t be of much use when it came to tutoring Kira in how to use angelic abilities, but he was more than happy to sit back and watch as she and Cas sat cross-legged on the floor across from each other.

“When angels smite, we- _they_ use a force driven by duty, by order. It is something felt within; you can think of it as the angel’s version of human emotion.” Cas explained. Kira gave him a pensive look.

“So angels don’t feel anything?” she asked as her eyes flickered over Cas’s shoulder to Dean sitting on the couch.

“Well, we- _they_ ,” he bit his lip in frustration. He wasn’t an angel anymore. He had to remember that. “Can feel emotions, but it’s not built into their system. Angels are made to follow orders, fight, and abide by duty. The rest of them said I was broken for feeling things, for rebelling because of those feelings.”

“Well, I don’t think you’re broken, Cas,” Kira said genuinely, “and neither does Dean, right?”

Dean sat up at the abrupt mention of his name, “Uh, yeah, Cas. You’re…you’re better off.” He said hurriedly. Cas turned to look over his shoulder at Dean and they locked eyes. Dean saw melancholy reflected in those eyes and just really wished he could make it go away. He remembered hearing what other angels had said of Castiel, how some had despised him for taking the side of humanity, of Dean, _“When Castiel first laid a hand on you in Heaven, he was lost”_ or _“You have fallen in every way imaginable.”_ He thought of how all angels now, regardless of whether they had previously admired Castiel for his reputation as a fierce warrior, now wanted him dead.

He saw the consequences of Castiel’s and his actions looking right back at him in the form of a broken angel-turned-human sitting five feet away.

Kira cleared her throat, breaking what seemed to have been an endless silence.

“So, uh, do you think my soul will make it more powerful? The smiting, I mean.” Kira asked, looking at her hands folded in her lap. Castiel turned back to her.

“I believe so. The fact that you are both human and angel is what makes your kind so fierce…and feared.”

“Feared? But the angels hate us.”

“Why do you think they hate you? Because they are _afraid_ of you, Kira. Angels do not understand human love and passion. They understand love in the sense of God, yes, but they can’t fully comprehend experiencing romantic love, lust, or the wish to become one with another person. That kind of love is what starts wars and causes rebellions…” Castiel explained, his voice growing quiet.

Suddenly, Dean’s phone rang. He looked down at the screen. Sam. Standing up, he picked up the phone and walked out into the hall, leaving the door ajar.

“Sammy, what’s going on?” he answered, leaning against the wall and peering into the apartment. He watched as Cas placed his palm on Kira’s forehead like he had done to demons so many times before, portraying how to properly smite. Kira rolled her eyes back into her head, stuck her tongue out, and pretended to play dead, an action which caused a small laugh to escape from Castiel’s throat. It was tiny, but it was something. Dean couldn’t help but smile.

“Well, I found Ella. She’s dead.”

The smile disappeared as quickly as it had come.

“What? Angels?” Dean asked quietly, walking away from the open door.

“Yeah I think so. Her eyes are burned out, she’s missing a leg…it looks bad, Dean.” Sam’s voice replied gravely over the phone.

“Shit. Alright, we’ll make our way back.”

“Did you guys find Cas?” Sam asked. Dean paused, careful of what his next words would be. Then he remembered that look on Cas’s face. The one that was shattered and alone. Then he got angry.

“Yeah, we did. He’s coming back with us.” He replied with a stern voice. He hoped Zeke would get that message.

“Really? That’s great, Dean. Let me know when you guys are on the way.”  Sam said. He hung up.

“Dean?” a voice said from behind him. He turned around and saw Castiel standing in front of the door, holding it by the doorknob, slightly ajar behind his back.

“How’s it going in there, Cas?”

“It’s going well. I really think she’ll be able to do…well, something. She has power, Dean.” Cas replied, nodding. His eyes moved to the phone in Dean’s hand, “was that Sam?”

“Yeah,” Dean said, he took a deep breath, “Kira’s friend, the one we came looking for who went missing, she’s dead.” Cas sighed and shook his head, a sad look on his face.

“I told him we’re coming back.” Dean added, staring at Cas.

“Well, that was the plan; Kira has to extricate Ezekiel.” Cas said simply.

“You’re coming too, Cas.”

Cas gave him a look and his brows furrowed, “Dean, Ezekiel-”

“Cas, I don’t give a _fuck_ about him anymore. He’s going to be gone. And you’re coming back with us. You’re coming home,” he said breathlessly, “I’m not leaving here without you, understand?” He remembered when he had said those same words in Purgatory before they were separated again, Cas letting Dean go. He must have remembered too, because he gave Dean the same exact look he gave him over a year ago in that colorless wasteland of dark souls.

“I understand.”   


	10. Chapter 10

They rode in silence, all three thinking about the task ahead of them, all three contemplating how it would turn out. Dean was thinking about Sam, unknowing of who was inside him and what was really going on in his body. Castiel was thinking about Sam too, but he was mostly thinking of Dean and his concern for his brother. What if Kira couldn’t properly eject Ezekiel? What if Sam died? Dean would be inconsolable. He sat in the passenger seat, shifting uncomfortably as he watched Dean drive, white-knuckled. Kira sat in the back of the Impala, her mind racing. She wanted to do this for Dean, Sam, and Castiel. She wanted more than anything to keep from letting them down. She knew she could be powerful, she just didn’t know how to flip the switch and turn it on. If she could exorcise a demon, she could exorcise an angel right? She played with the glass vial hanging at her neck, thinking _please just work for me_.

She felt the weight of Dean’s expectations: to save Sam, drive the angel out, return things to normal…well, Winchester normal. If she failed, then she had not only failed them, but herself, and her father. He passed this blessing along to her with hopes that she would use it to the highest aptitude. So far, she had only used her abilities to avoid hangovers, eavesdrop on celestial beings, and read the emotions of guys who played the nice guy routine but only wanted to get in her pants and run. She had been selfish. She could have been like the Winchesters, helping people, slaying monsters, doing things she had only dreamt about and exercised through excessive video games. No, she wouldn’t fail them, this was her chance.

“I can do this.” She muttered to herself, staring out the window. She clenched and unclenched her fists, willing some angelic mojo to seep through her veins. Before she knew it, they had reached Des Moines. They pulled into a gas station parking lot and Dean parked. He turned around in his seat.

“I’ll call Sam and tell him to meet us somewhere,” he began, addressing Kira, “you ready for this?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” she took a deep breath, “yeah, do it.”

Dean got out of the car. Castiel looked at Dean for a bit and then turned to Kira.

“You can do this, Kira. Just like we practiced,” He said, his bright blue eyes showing so much hope for his protégé, “you have it in you. You’re even more powerful than regular angels. He should be afraid of you.”

Kira gave a small laugh, “Have you seen Sam? He’s like a tree.”

“Yes, but it’s not Sam.” Cas countered, the corner of his mouth tugging up.

Dean returned a minute later.

“He’s meeting us in an hour near the parish. Hopefully there won’t be anyone around. It’s pretty late in the day so I’m sure it’ll be fine,” he said, looking back and forth between Kira and Cas, “so this is it.”

“This is it.” Kira repeated, holding the bottle in her hands. She didn’t know what willed her to do it, but she removed the small cork top from the bottle and took a deep breath. The silver light escaped the glass entrapment and closed the space between her hands and her lips, entering into her body with a fluid-like movement. She inhaled it so deeply, as if she were breathing for the first time. She saw herself in the rear view mirror of the Impala, and she had no pupils. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it's taken me so long to update this :(  
> finals and winter break has taken a toll and I've hit a bit of writer's block.  
> patience is appreciated <3 even if nobody reads this, haha.


	11. Chapter 11

“I don’t want you guys to be there when I do it.” The words came out of Kira’s mouth but it was as if someone else had said the words. They didn’t feel like hers; of course she wanted them there, she was scared and nervous; so why had she said that?

_“What?”_ Dean asked incredulously, “Why not?”

“If it goes wrong,” she reasoned with herself; there must have been a logical explanation for why that thought had spilled out, “I don’t want you guys to get hurt.”

“And we don’t want you or Sam to get hurt either.” Dean argued, his brows furrowing in frustration.

“It’s going to be some crazy angel shit. Someone’s going to get hurt.” Kira replied quickly, “and I don’t want you guys caught in the crossfire.”

“Kira,” Cas interceded, feeling the obvious tension between Kira and Dean, “We can support you with this; your powers are new to you and unfamiliar.”

Kira shook her head, “I-I don’t know.” Something took hold of her suddenly and she closed her eyes in pain as a splitting headache began to torment her. She grimaced and grabbed the sides of her head. All sense of sound slipped away from her and her stomach did summersaults. When she opened her eyes, she was no longer in the car with Dean and Castiel. She was outside of the church and Sam stood in front of her, leaning against the door.

“Kira,” The tone of voice with which he greeted her, sturdy, low, raw; Kira knew it couldn’t be Sam. The look in his eyes was hostile. They suddenly began to glow a dangerous, crystalline blue and he stood straight, as if held by strings. Kira cracked her neck and narrowed her eyes, feeling a rush of strength and confidence roll up her spine. The grace was taking hold.

“So we understand each other.” The voice that came out of Sam said, scoffing, “you think you can take me?”

“I know I can,” Kira said, standing up taller, “your time in Sam’s body is done. Whoever you are, you need to go.”

“Is that so?” He replied. He raised his palm to her, attempting to fling her aside like a rag doll. There was a rush of wind, but all it did was blow her dark hair back behind her; Kira stood her ground firmly. She was powerful and she wasn’t going anywhere.

“Sorry.” She said, shrugging. She mirrored his movements and Sam’s body was thrust backwards through the door and into the church. Kira moved fluidly and quickly toward him, as if gliding. She threw herself on top of him. She knew Sam had more than five inches on her, but she didn’t care. She was Nephilim and Nephilim beat angel any day of the week. She held his arms down and he struggled against her. The color in Sam’s eyes returned to a hazel tiny and Kira faltered.

“Kira, what-” Sam exclaimed, surveying the situation, Kira sitting on top of his chest, “Uh…”

“Sam, I-” she relinquished her grip and her heart began to race. What now?

“Got you.” His voice turned dark again as she sensed she had been fooled. In a matter of seconds, the tables had turned and she was flipped on her back, Sam’s strong arms holding her against the cold cement floor fiercely.

“HEY!” a voice yelled from outside the church. Kira saw Dean from between Sam’s arms rushing towards them, “SAM!”

Sam’s attention was rapt for a moment as he turned towards Dean’s voice, lightening his grip in surprise and Kira saw her chance. She slipped her right arm out from under Sam’s hands and planted it on Sam’s head. She closed her eyes and willed as hard as she could for the grace to do its work.

“GET OUT OF HIM!” She yelled. She felt a burning sensation on her palm and it rushed up her forearm, across her shoulders, into her chest. It felt like her body was on fire and there was no hope of extinguishing it. The pain was insurmountable, but she didn’t remove her hand from Sam’s forehead. He had turned fully into her now and they faced each other. She managed to open her eyes through the sea of red that flooded her vision to see Sam’s eyes completely white, illuminating light shining out of them like the beams of a lighthouse. She felt everything inside him; this felt nothing like exorcising the demon. This was on a whole other level.

Kira felt and saw years of pain and suffering, both physical and mental. She saw Sam’s soul burning in hell, she saw him and Dean yelling at each other, and she saw Sam throwing himself over Dean’s allegedly dead body. She saw it all. _Let me help you,_ she thought, remembering how she wished someone had offered her guidance. Maybe she could do it for Sam. He needed someone to heal him. And then she saw this figure, this man, Ezekiel? Whoever the hell was taking over Sam’s body, using him as a vessel.

“You need to go.” Kira said, her voice vicious.

“Make me.” He replied, holding eye contact with her steadily.

Kira felt something form in her hand and she looked down at her palm to see brilliant silver light building. She didn’t know what it was or what it would do but she trusted it. She flexed her arm and thrust the light forward at the other angel. He put his arms up to block it, but to no avail. The light hit him and he was enveloped by it. He disappeared. 


	12. Chapter 12

There was an odd sensation in Sam’s gut as he was yanked back into consciousness but the sound of Dean’s voice yelling for him. His eyes sprung open; there was a sharp pain in his torso and he gasped out loudly when he felt it. He looked down and saw Kira’s hand splayed across his chest, her palm directly over his heart. His eyes followed her arm to where she lay face down on the floor, unmoving. Dean and Castiel ran towards them and stopped a few feet away, unsure of what exactly had transpired.

“Dean, Cas, what,” he looked back and forth, “Kira-what-what happened?” He spluttered, confusion of what had happened, where he was, a sensory overload jamming his system.

Dean paused before answering. He considered lying. He could tell Sam that he got in a fight with a demon or something, that they had arrived in the nick of time and Kira had saved him. He considered concealing the fact that, for months, a celestial entity had been inside of Sam, listening to conversations, possessing him at will, taking over his mind. No, Dean thought, enough lying.

“Kira exorcised an angel from your body, Sammy.” Dean replied, sighing; he dared not meet Sam’s eyes.

“And _why_ was there an angel inside of me?” Sam asked slowly, hesitancy rising inside of him and causing his stomach to turn.

“You…you were dying, Sam, I couldn’t just _let you_ go, I-I didn’t know what else to do.” Dean shook his head, his voice wavering as he watched anger forming in the lines of Sam’s brow.

“So you let an angel possess me?! I was ready to die, Dean! After everything, how could you-”

“Guys?” a forgotten voice interrupted. Kira had woken up from the voices of the boys. Her hand still resting on Sam, she had pushed herself up onto her other elbow, her eyes tired and confused, “What happened?”

“It worked, Kira,” Castiel spoke up, moving toward her to help her sit up, “you cast him out.”

She looked from Cas to Sam, “Sam, are you okay?” she asked, her voice teeming with exhaustion. Sam’s countenance switched from anger with Dean to grateful and far gentler.

“I think so. I feel…lighter, I don’t know how to explain it. Whatever you did, it worked.” He said, giving her a small half-smile. He was still riddled with frustration, but none of that was her fault. “Thank you.”

Kira returned his smile wearily, “Sam, I saw things. Getting that angel out wasn’t as hard as I thought, but…I think I touched your soul, I don’t know, I feel strange.”

Something told Sam to look down at where Kira’s hand had initially been resting on his chest. He unbuttoned the first few fastenings on his shirt and saw a mark. It wasn’t a handprint like the one that Castiel had left on Dean years ago, but it was reminiscent. There was a mark that almost formed a star; it looked like five finger points gingerly touching the center of his torso. Kira looked at it, “Did I do that?” she asked, her eyes widening.

“Yes, I believe so. If you did touch Sam’s soul,” Castiel began, his eyes moving towards Kira, “then you will certainly feel drawn to Sam. When an angel, or in your case, nephilim, touches the soul of a human, it leaves a mark and,” his eyes moved from Kira to Dean, “something changes and something begins. It cannot be explained.”

Dean looked at Cas, feeling so much all at once. He reached out and touched Cas’s arm, not sure what was happening or what to do, but there was an overwhelming need to feel him there, to make sure he wouldn’t leave.

“Cas, I-” he began, his voice surprisingly weak, but he was interrupted.

“So it’s come to this.” The voice echoing behind them was loud, but not strong. It was familiar but not friendly. The four of them turned around and saw Metatron standing in the doorway of the Church. Although he was not impressive in any sense of the word, there was a semi-powerful air about him as he stood before them. He had a bottle of grace around his neck that hung, mockingly. So close, yet so far. Castiel’s eyes flitted to it instantly, recognizing it.

“Metatron.” He said in a hostile tone, standing up and facing the angel.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Dean groaned.

“Castiel, look at you,” Metatron replied, his voice contemptuous, “how’s humanity treating you?”

“That’s my grace,” Castiel snarled, “I want it back.”

“Then come and get it.” 


	13. Chapter 13

It all happened so fast and yet, simultaneously so slow. Castiel readied himself to attack Metatron; he was preparing his muscles to move toward his target, his feet just about to leave the floor when a bright blast of light approached them with hostile intentions. It came, no doubt, from Metatron, who was using Castiel’s grace against him out of spite. The celestial force was large, but it seemed to have a target, as it chose to attack the one to whom it belonged. Kira saw its path and moved fast so to grab Castiel from the intended route of the blast; he was still human and it would certainly annihilate him. Dean, however, had other intentions. He roughly pushed Kira out of the way with one hand and threw his own body in front of Castiel, shielding him. He wasn’t much larger or taller than Cas but he was evidently an effective shield, as Dean fell backwards once hit. Castiel braced himself and caught Dean from behind as the hunter collapsed.

Then it was like time had ceased.

Kira was on the floor, trying to stand back up, but so dazed from the previous moment’s events. Sam was behind her, his eyes wide and mouth huge and cavernous. Castiel was crouched, Dean’s torso locked between his legs. He held Dean’s head gingerly and just stared at Dean’s face, mentally willing him to wake up. Sam thought he had seen Cas upset before, angry, sad, broken, but he had seen nothing comparable to the look that had formed on Castiel’s face now.

“Dean…” He said, almost a whisper as he knelt there, giving Dean small shakes to wake him up, but with such desperation he knew it was futile. He looked over his shoulder at Sam. Sam moved quickly to hold Dean as Castiel stood up and turned to Metatron, who stood at the doorway. The scribe looked both smug at the unintended fatality, but also fearful as he saw the rage that was building inside of the fallen angel before him.

Although Castiel was human, there was such a righteous fury and vision of pure cosmic spirit that radiated in him as he advanced toward Metatron. He moved faster than any human Kira had ever seen and with such fluidity, she could swear there was still some angel in there. She was sure that Metatron had not been prepared for this as his attempt to protect himself was pathetic. It looked as though he had attempted to fly off, disappear as angels do, but there was no chance for that this time. Castiel grabbed him roughly by the shoulder with one hand and, with the other hand, drove the angel blade up into Metatron’s gut. He pulled Metatron’s face close, his lip turned up so viciously, it was terrifying to watch.

“Fuck you,” he snarled, and twisted the knife in Metatron’s body before relinquishing his grip and letting the former scribe of God fall to the floor of the church in a heap. Castiel leaned down to Metatron’s body and yanked the chain of bottled grace from his neck with vigor. He took the bottle in his hand, examining it and turning it over in his hands. Then, suddenly, he threw it down and smashed the glass on the floor. The silver light that had emanated within the bottle rose like vapor and found its rightful owner. Like Kira had done earlier that night, Castiel inhaled the grace, taking a deep breath, like he was breathing for the first time in years. He turned to look at Sam and Kira, who both stared at him with awed eyes.

His eyes then fixed on Dean, who lay motionless in Sam’s lap. Castiel’s face turned from aggressive to horrified within milliseconds. He ran to Dean’s side. He put his palm on Dean’s forehead, like he had done so many times before. He closed his eyes and willed with everything he had, every bit of human, angel, emotion, and love within him that Dean could come out of this.

They had been through so much worse before.

Castiel felt that there was an inkling of human soul left within him and he nudged it, internally pleading with it to leave him and enter Dean. He knew that the human soul was incredibly powerful.

His eyes were still closed, but he felt someone from the outside touch him. A smaller, cold hand took Cas’s free hand that had fallen by his side and placed it in Dean’s lifeless palm.

At that second, Castiel felt a pulse of energy from Dean’s body. He snapped open his eyes to see Dean coming back into consciousness, panting and gasping for breath.

Castiel stared at him breathlessly. Now he _really_ knew what it felt like when Dean thought he was dead. There was so much fear, so much uncertainty, loss, and emptiness. Under the circumstances with which they met, there was undoubtedly a profound presence in their friendship, but something else had bloomed there since then. It was so much more than divine.

“Dean,” Castiel started, but he was interrupted. In a movement that felt both so right and yet so unreal, Dean grabbed Castiel by the collar of his shirt and pulled him straight into him. Their lips crashed together like hurricane waves and this otherworldly feeling swept through Castiel’s body. It was like nothing he had ever experienced before. It was an ecstasy and calm at the same time. It was something Cas had always thought he had wanted and this moment only seemed to confirm that wish.

When it ended, seemingly, hours, days, and worlds later, and they pulled apart, the air felt different.

“About damn time,” Sam said, pulling them back to reality.

Cas and Dean both seemed to snap to attention as they realized Sam and Kira were next to them. Castiel felt a heat rise to his face, something new, a _blushing?_ Dean shook his head, as if waking from a dream and looked at his brother and the girl that had caused a chain reaction and changed everything. 


	14. Chapter 14

“So, what now, for you?” Dean asked Kira. The four of them stood outside of the church, in the aftermath of the night’s events.

“Well,” Kira began thoughtfully, “I think I’m still going to look for Ella. Whether she’s still alive or not, she’s one of my only friends and it’s worth a shot to find her or at least know that she’s gone.”

“Well, you have three more friends now.” Sam replied, giving her a small smile, which she returned.

“What about you guys?” she asked, her eyes shifting between them.

“Now that Metatron is dead, I have to find a way to return the angels to Heaven.” Castiel said, his bright blue eyes looking upwards towards his former home.

“Well, after I’m done looking for Ella,” Kira started, taking a deep breath, “I’d really like to help you guys.”

Dean looked at her, “Really? After all the shit you’ve seen the past few days, you don’t want to get as far away as you can _while_ you can?”

Kira laughed, “Not a chance. Sure, it’s been a hell of a week, but you know what? I love it. From what I’ve heard about you guys and from what I have seen, I could use an adventure like this. You guys are dysfunctional as hell, sure, but you know what, there’s a lot of love here.” She said as she looked between them, watching as Castiel’s eyes shifted next to him and over at Dean. Kira smiled.

Dean stepped forward and, in a somewhat awkward, but well-meaning fashion, pulled Kira into a hug.

“Give us a call, kid.” He said, ruffling her dark hair.

“Sure thing,” she said. Kira turned to Castiel, “Cas, thank you so much, for training me, for everything, really, it means a lot.”

Castiel, who was not well-versed in hugs, mirrored Dean’s actions, and wrapped his arms around her. Kira was surprised, but happy, and laughed as she gripped him back.

“We’ll see you soon.” He said, not as a question, but a statement.

Kira turned to Sam, “Sam, I hope you don’t feel…weird about me touching your soul and stuff. I mean, I left a nasty mark on you.”

Sam laughed, “You did what you had to, and I’m glad you did. Honestly, Cas and Dean met in a…somewhat similar situation and look how they turned out.”

Dean cleared his throat and Castiel’s cheeks turned a deep red.

“Okay, enough,” Dean said, but he looked over at Cas and his expression softened. Sam grinned and Kira did too, feeling an odd sensation in her stomach…butterflies? No, couldn’t be.

“Well, I’ll see you,” she said, and instead of waiting for an invitation, hugged Sam tight. She stretched up on the toes of her boots and planted a kiss on his cheek, as she, too, began to flush. Sam looked surprised, but definitely not disappointed or dismayed.

Kira gave the boys a small wave and, clearly happy with her new abilities, teleported from the scene. It was funny, the boys could have sworn they heard the sound of wings. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked the story!  
> thanks for reading :)


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